Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who stepped down from the court last month, was named honorary chairwoman for the 400th anniversary of America's first permanent English settlement.

TV and radio host Tavis Smiley was announced Monday as a participant in one of the commemoration's main events. Organizers still are in talks with other big names, a Jamestown 2007 spokesman said.

O'Connor is expected to participate in commemoration events such as "America's Anniversary Weekend" on May 11-13, 2007, and the "World Forum on Democracy" on Sept. 16-19, 2007.

She is no stranger to the Williamsburg area. O'Connor serves as the College of William and Mary's chancellor and is a senior trustee for Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's board of trustees.

"America's traditions of representative government, free enterprise and cultural diversity have their roots at Jamestown," O'Connor said in a release.

"I'm honored to be associated with this important milestone. The commemoration is a rare opportunity for all Americans to better understand the foundations of our nation as we work together to shape our country's future." *

A Civil War-period coat worn by a nurse — a woman from a prominent Mathews County family who some believe was the only woman to be commissioned as a captain in the Confederate Army — is among the nominees for Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts program.